For Queen’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) Training Lead Amy Brant, the A Mile in Their Shoes program is what true reconciliation looks like.
Nearly 40 alumni signed up for the program – offered by the OII and the Queen’s Office of Advancement – which highlights the impact of residential schools on survivors and Indigenous communities. The program lasts four months and combines online learning, readings, discussions and an on-site visit to a healing lodge at Six Nations of the Grand River near Brantford, Ont.
“It’s a program where the responsibility is shouldered by alumni and Advancement in partnership with OII,” says Brant. “Reconciliation (at Queen’s) is often times shouldered by Indigenous Peoples. This initiative is truly being stewarded by the non-Indigenous organizers.”
This is the second year of A Mile in Their Shoes, which started when two alumni brought forth the idea of Queen’s hosting a Truth and Reconciliation event. The goal is to inspire non-Indigenous alumni to embrace Truth and Reconciliation and take action to create a better society.
On Sept. 28, alumni travelled to a healing lodge at Six Nations of the Grand River for a day of learning and reflection. Dr. Dan Brant, MPA’15, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and an adjunct assistant professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s, was the lead facilitator on the day.
Alumni gathered at the lodge where they were greeted with a bowl of cold mush (with bugs intentionally added) and identified by numbers rather than names. It was a disorienting moment meant to make those attending feel a little bit of what Indigenous children would have felt when they arrived at Residential schools: confused, uncomfortable, and apprehensive. The participants heard personal accounts from residential school survivors and learned about the impact of residential schools on Indigenous communities. There was also a traditional dance and drum performance, and participants joined in a Friendship Dance.
“There is no reconciliation without learning about the truth,” says OII Projects and Communications Coordinator Mika Henry. “Reconciliation is also not going to work if it is just Indigenous Peoples doing the work. Until both sides are informed and both sides know the truth, we are not going to be able to have true reconciliation.”
Susan Murdock, PHE’73, Ed’74, is one of the Queen’s alumni who brought the idea of A Mile in Their Shoes forward to Queen’s and participated in last year’s event.
“The people who spoke described historic wrongs and current injustices without softening the tragic realities these have entailed, but they did so in a way that made non-Indigenous visitors feel that we could be part of a more positive future,” says Murdock. “There were details about residential schools, in particular, that I had not known, including the dehumanizing strategy of assigning children a number to be used instead of their names, and to direct them on how to line up for meals and activities.”
Lisa Hood, Artsci’04, is another alumna who took part in the last year’s event. She previously took online courses to educate herself about residential schools and Indigenous issues but said A Mile in Their Shoes was next-level learning.
“It felt like a natural progression of my own journey of unlearning,” says Hood. “An in-person opportunity to hear directly from survivors on their terms was extra meaningful. Truthfully, my learnings made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t easy to hear, but I am working hard to be OK with sitting with discomfort and trying to learn from it, rather than moving to achieve greater comfort.”
Sept. 30 was National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. For members of the Queen’s community who want to learn and do more, here are some recommended actions:
• Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action
• Watch the educational video on reconciliation from Queen’s Chancellor Murray Sinclair that documents his experiences with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
• Please consider the direct and indirect impact of residential schools on Indigenous community members at Queen’s and be supportive of one another. There are also various support services available through Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre, Student Wellness Services, and the Employee and Family Assistance Program
• Identify and acknowledge the territory where you live
• Explore Indigenous voices in books, podcasts, TV shows, and music
To learn more about how Queen’s is implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, please visit the Office of Indigenous Initiatives website.
